Topeka weather in October

In October, Topeka sees average daytime highs of 67°F and overnight lows near 47°F, with 3.1 in of precipitation across 7.8 wet days and about 11 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 73°F in the first days to 61°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 51% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 36 min at the start of October to 10 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Topeka's 2nd-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Topeka's year-round climate.

Daytime high
67°
6th warmest
Overnight low
47°
7th coldest
Precipitation
3.1 in
7.8 wet days
Daylight
11 hours
6:39 AM – 5:37 PM
Cloud cover
44%
2nd clearest
Wind
9 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
3.58 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.8
out of 10

Topeka is capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and seat of Shawnee County.

Density
791/km²
people per km²
Founded
1854

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 73°F in the first days to 61°F by the end.

A typical October day in Topeka reaches about 67°F in the afternoon and slips back to 47°F overnight — a 21°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 54°F and 80°F. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 12°F cooler than September and about 13°F warmer than November.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17452
27352
37352
47351
57251
67250
77150
87150
97049
107049
116948
126948
136948
146847
156847
166747
176746
186646
196646
206645
216545
226544
236444
246444
256343
266343
276242
286242
296142
306141
316041

How October really feels in Topeka

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 0 that feel at or below 32°F — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
0
wind chill below the day's low

October sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Topeka weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 6th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan39° / 22°1.15.22.99.60.0
Feb44° / 25°1.65.62.810.50.9
Mar55° / 35°2.98.31.811.73.8
Apr65° / 45°4.3110.4135.8
May75° / 56°5.712.9014.16.3
Jun84° / 66°4.911.5014.75.4
Jul89° / 70°3.69.7014.54.4
Aug87° / 67°4.09.3013.55.0
Sep79° / 59°3.47.6012.37.1
Oct67° / 47°3.17.80.2116.8
Nov54° / 35°2.15.619.93.7
Dec43° / 25°1.64.72.39.30.6

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 51% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 38%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17129
27030
37030
47030
56931
66832
76733
86733
96634
106634
116535
126436
136436
146436
156238
166238
176238
186040
196040
205941
215941
225941
235842
245842
255743
265644
275644
285644
295644
305644
315644

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Topeka gets around 3.1 in of rain and snow over 7.8 wet days in October. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 24% and peaks near 25% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1230
2240
3240
4240
5240
6250
7250
8250
9250
10250
11250
12250
13250
14240
15240
16240
17241
18241
19241
20241
21241
22241
23241
24241
25241
26241
27241
28241
29232
30232
31232

Humidity in October

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of October feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, October lands in the dry band about 82% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
168151061
27014961
37114951
47314850
57414840
67613740
77613740
87713730
97713730
107912630
118012620
128012620
138112520
148212510
158311510
168411410
178411410
188411410
198510410
208510410
218510410
228510410
23869410
24869410
25879400
26898300
27898300
28907300
29907300
30916300
31916300

Wind in October

Winds average 9 mph in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 8 mph on the calmest days to 9 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
18light breeze
28light breeze
38light breeze
48light breeze
58light breeze
68light breeze
79light breeze
89light breeze
99light breeze
109light breeze
119light breeze
129light breeze
139light breeze
149light breeze
159light breeze
169light breeze
179light breeze
189light breeze
199light breeze
209light breeze
219light breeze
229light breeze
239light breeze
249light breeze
259light breeze
269light breeze
279light breeze
289light breeze
299light breeze
309light breeze
319light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 36 min at the start of October to 10 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 72 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 6:24 AM to 6:55 AM, and sunset from 6:00 PM to 5:17 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.66:246:00
211.66:255:58
311.56:265:56
411.56:275:55
511.46:285:53
611.46:295:52
711.36:305:50
811.36:315:48
911.36:325:47
1011.26:335:45
1111.26:345:44
1211.16:355:42
1311.16:365:41
1411.06:375:39
1511.06:385:38
1611.06:395:37
1710.96:405:35
1810.96:415:34
1910.86:425:32
2010.86:435:31
2110.86:445:30
2210.76:455:28
2310.76:465:27
2410.66:485:26
2510.66:495:24
2610.66:505:23
2710.56:515:22
2810.56:525:21
2910.46:535:20
3010.46:545:18
3110.46:555:17

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 3.58 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.13 kWh/m² to a high of 6.63 kWh/m² in July across the year — October's 3.58 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.3Bright
24.3Bright
34.2Bright
44.2Bright
54.1Bright
64.1Bright
74.0Bright
84.0Moderate
93.9Moderate
103.9Moderate
113.8Moderate
123.8Moderate
133.7Moderate
143.7Moderate
153.6Moderate
163.6Moderate
173.6Moderate
183.5Moderate
193.5Moderate
203.4Moderate
213.4Moderate
223.3Moderate
233.3Moderate
243.3Moderate
253.2Moderate
263.2Moderate
273.1Moderate
283.1Moderate
293.0Moderate
303.0Moderate
313.0Moderate
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Topeka?

Our two travel scores rate October for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

6.8
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
3.3
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

October is a reasonable time to visit Topeka for sightseeing.

What to pack for Topeka in October

From October's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In October, Topeka sees daytime highs around 67°F and nights near 47°F. Little to plan around — just the basics. About 8 days see rain.

UV index in Topeka in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October peaks around 5 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Topeka peaks around June 23 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 23UV 10Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May7High
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Topeka in October

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where October falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Topeka is worst in April — around 28 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.6× the cleanest month (October, 6 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodApr 1526 µg/m³Oct 236 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb11Good
Mar15Moderate
Apr28Moderate
May11Good
Jun12Moderate
Jul14Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct6Good
Nov7Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Topeka?

Topeka sits at 39.0°N, 95.7°W, 945 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Lawrence, 24 mi away.

Topography around Topeka

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Topeka.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Topeka has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 171 ft around an average of 922 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 377 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 876 ft.

The land around Topeka is covered by trees (46%) and artificial surfaces (37%) within 2 miles, trees (36%), grassland (35%) and cropland (20%) within 10 miles, and grassland (48%), cropland (29%) and trees (20%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
171 ft
10 miles
377 ft
50 miles
876 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
October weather nearby: Lawrence 24 mi · Gardner 43 mi · Leavenworth 44 mi · Olathe 48 mi · Manhattan 49 mi · Lenexa 51 mi · Shawnee 52 mi · Emporia 52 mi

United States travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 100% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$90,027
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
98%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
5.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Topeka (39.0483°, -95.678°, elevation 945 ft), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).